Procrastination

I'm sure lovin' this.. Procrastinating everyday.. =) Bleaching... Movies... Bowling for the first time in years... ($8 per game!!!!!! And it's already a Special offer rate. Usual Price $14 -_-) Transformers was indeed great, the opening sequences already had me holding my breath.....

With another semester beckoning, it's pleasing to know that I've more or less fulfilled my 'mission' here for my first year. With only one blemish on my report card (darn Biz Law..), it remains to be seen whether I can maintain these lofty standards can be maintained in the coming years. I've restricted myself from participating in extra-curricular activities until Year 2 to make sure I get my studies on track first. Now, the time has come for me to take on other challenges as well.

My friend recently asked, "I can't imagine how you can get the grades that you got in SRJC given your competitiveness". Good Question. I didn't know how I spent those years as well. Just lost my way somewhat I guess. Somehow I always knew that I had that competitiveness somewhere inside me, though nowhere as strong as the Mr. 4.9s and 4.8s, Mr Dentist and Mr. T-Rexs.... They have undoubtedly set the benchmark as the pace-setters. Catch them if you can.

I'll have some anxious waiting for the next few weeks... On one front, the eligibility for overseas exchange pending a meeting with the manager for student services, and on the other, perhaps more significant, whether I managed to break into the Top 5% bracket.

Meanwhile.. more photos... 2 of the World's Best Universities sitting side by side in Boston's Cambridge precinct..

John Harvard

Harvard University

M.I.T

Capitol Hill
FBI Building

White House

-e.i.g.h.t-d.a.y.s-

Finally......

Finally an update after a month of hiatus. My Whirlwind Holidays in Singapore ended before I even realised it.. To the many friends whom I haven't been able to meet, We'll make it up in December!

Everyday's like Sunday to me now.. It's kinda the first time in Melbourne that I can really sleep whole day and not bother about anything else except wreck my brains on how to keep myself entertained until zY's visit on July 12..

Refuelling at Anchorage, Alaska. By this time, it's already about 15hrs since I departed Singapore. Another 6 more to go..

Onboard Maid of the Mist, sailing right to the Heart of Niagara Falls

That's Canada on the left side of the river. Uncle Sam just opposite.

Glass Floor atop the CN Tower

CN Tower, Toronto

Update = No Update

Home stretch now.. Just dragging myself to the finishing line...Always visualizing SQ218, the Boeing 777 sitting on the airport Tarmac ready for boarding.. Well. so much so that my mind drifted off to thinking about what time to head to airport on Monday night Right Smack in the middle of my first paper.. Biz Stats.. -_- "Ladies and Gentlemen. The cabin lights will be dimmed for take-off......"

Random Update

Another Birthday Dinner.

The Much-talked-about Krispy Kreme..
A bit of 'home' from 3750miles away..
Stir-fried Beef with Broccoli. Yet another dish added to my limited personal menu. Not "Zhey" though. Hahaha.

Singapore, are you ready?

"Singapore to host F1 Grand Prix next year" http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/275566/1/.html

Hardly surprising. Haha. And despite the Minister saying that it could "potentially" be held at night, I think that's just being diplomatically correct. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has been a staunch supporter for night races in Asia to increase viewership in Europe. I would be very surprised if the Singapore GP turns out to be a day event. Let's just sit back, relax and enjoy the smell of the burning rubber... Heading to a durian near you.

The so-called Whale-Jet is finally coming. The 1st A380 to be delivered to SQ is finally out of the paint shop and scheduled for delivery in October this year and will be initially deployed on SIN-Sydney sector. Why not Melbourne?!

Take a look at the "O" in the "Singapore". It's actually slightly 'taller' than the other characters. Hmm.

Notice the engines are not yet installed on the wings.

Dad 2-0 Hewlett Packard

The long-standing saga with HP finally came to an end when I collected my notebook from the Post Office. It has been an annoying and agonising few months without my laptop and the hassle of having to fight for the replacement. I knew I was fighting a losing battle right from the beginning despite the obvious problems with the unit. Being a student and overseas certainly didn't help matters, after all, what can a soon-to-be 22 year old do from 3700miles away? By handing over matters to my Dad, i knew already the Battle would be won. Not if, but When.

Case No. 1 - I sent my Desktop in Singapore in Feb for repair after my cousin told me the unit failed to start. When I eventually collected back the unit from HP just before I returned to Melbourne, the Customer Service Officer informed me that it was a software issue, but should hardware issues arise in the future, HP would not be able to fix the problem as the model was out of the Product Life Support. Alright, fair enough. After all, this Desktop is more than 5 years old already. When the same problem re-occurred shortly after I left, my dad sent it back and was subsequently informed that there was some hardware failure and there was nothing HP could do as they no longer have spare parts for this unit. At this stage, what would any of us have done? More often than not, we probably would believed him.

But not my dad. He knows nuts about computers, but yet he argued that it has just been fixed just days earlier and it had only been used a couple of times thereafter. HP should have detected any possible hardware issue on the previous occasion anyway. He refused to accept their explanation of hardware failure and if it really was an hardware issue, my dad demanded that HP declare in Black and White that there was indeed a hardware failure and that HP could no longer support the model. Immediately the customer service officer backed away and reassured that they would thoroughly check the unit again. Just 2 days after that, HP called and informed my dad that it was indeed just a software issue and that it had been fixed at no extra cost. Wow. What can i say..

Case No. 2 - As some of you might have been aware, my laptop have been giving me problems since the 2nd week of purchase and have been sent for repair numerous times here in Melbourne as well as in Singapore. Despite the promise from HP that it will be replaced if there was further hardware issues after the inspection in Singapore in Feb, HP still refused to replace after my laptop encountered Ram problems and failed to start. They claimed this was just a minor issue and the ram could be replaced easily. I know this, but I could immediately see that there was no way they would ever replace the unit, with the kind of tactics they are engaging in. Sounding like they are so supportive of my stand but was actually just trying to coax me out of the idea of replacement. Once it was handed over to my dad, HP agreed to replace the unit not long after. But there were to be more tricks up their sleeves. They were only able to offer me the 17-inch model and I had to pay the price differential + GST which would amount to about $600. Again, my dad slammed the door on them. Shortly, they finally offered a similar model to what I used to own at no extra cost. (My original model has been discontinued, presumably due to the launch of Vista i think).

And so, I finally have a laptop to use now.. Equipped with Microsoft Vista, but not after having to explain to the Australian customs that the laptop was a replacement unit and thus exempted from taxes.

Just downloaded shots from my k800i..

Dinner in Singapore prior to Departure in Oct 2006

First night back

Burger King (By the way, it's called Hungry Jacks here)

Audi A6 at the airport!

Terminal 3

Not sure if any of you have seen these pictures in the local media, but anyhow, here's a sneak preview of the new Changi Terminal 3. Pictures courtesy of sqtalk.com

Arrival Immigration

Departure Hall

Keep Walking

Forgettable week so far.. Haix.

Anyway, I think there's this mad craze in Singapore about Donuts? Donut Factory? And now I've even received a request for Krispy Kreme?! And apparently I'm not the only one. I have friends here who have received similar "Special Requests".. I personally can't see how the craze can be sustained. Look at the Roti-papa.. or Papa-John.. or whatever it is.. I thought those Coffee buns were pretty good and it was a new idea.. Before long, almost every confectionery was selling it.. and now, even the one in Parkway has closed down. And of course, there's the pork floss bun introduced by BreadTalk.. the same happened.. Just that Breadtalk was a has a wide 'product range' and its strong brand name coupled with extensive network definitely helped..

Donuts.. Wasn't that what we ate in Primary school? Then I remembered the talk about Donuts being unhealthy as it was effectively eating sugar.. Hmmm. Well. There is certainly a wider range of flavours available now, from what I've seen in the Krispy Kreme here.. Haven't tried it though.. Ain't cheap! Sustainable? Time will tell..

Extreme left is someone from the Korean restaurant. Don't ask me why he's inside the picture. Don't think any of us would have known either.

A passerby almost mistook me for vandalising the car until he saw the Birthday greetings..

Hong Kong Govt HQ

Check out the design proposals for the new Hong Kong Government HQ.. It's gonna add a new dimension to the HK skyline..What do you reckon?

Design A: Looks stunning at first sight.. But...uncanny resemblence to the following.. lacks originality in that sense..

The new CCTV Complex in Beijing

La Grande Arche in Paris

Design B: Well.. Maybe there's a reason why it's Design 'B'.. B for BORING..Design C: Nothing Spectacular...

Design D: As the saying goes, Saving the best for the last.. the distinct shape of the Chinese Junk is an appropriate design for the Govt HQ, symbolic of Hong Kong.. At least you can instantly relate the design to HK.. and not just any other building in NY, London or any other city.. some critics commented that this design lacked a corporate feel to it though.. Hmm. But I still think it's the best design.. together with the innovative waterfront landscaping

Singapore Grand Prix 2

Make no mistake about it. The Ferraris and the McLarens will be in Singapore. I'm sure in Singapore, the press have been very positive with the potential benefits of hosting the Grand Prix.. I don't deny those benefits but I guess many people are missing out on the pitfalls of it..

Looking at BingDe's Blog, the circuit certainly doesn't excite me. But given that it's a street circuit, I guess that's the best the authorities can come up with. Well, having just been to the Australian Grand Prix recently, I can say that seeing the race cars in action and hear the roar of the engines was really quite an experience.. It's amazing to hear how fast the gear shifts as compared to the saloon cars. There are several large screens installed near the stands so that the spectators can keep track with the race.

Technically speaking, the Melbourne circuit is also a street circuit as it is set in the scenic Albert Park. There's been quite a lot of negative press with regards to holding this annual event, not least the financial losses that come with it. In 2005, the loss was $9.7million and this widened to $15.6million in 2006. The facts speak for itself. The actual Formula 1 programme only lasts 4 days. Thursdays and Fridays strictly practice sessions. 1 hr in the morning and another hour in the afternoon i think. Saturdays, 1hr practice session in the morning followed by the hour-long Qualifying session in the afternoon. The race itself is on Sunday, around 2 hours, starting from about 2 or 3pm. So, in 4 days, there are only 8 hours of action. But throughout the entire period, and the weeks of preparation and dismantling before and after the event, the area is closed to public. Over here in Melbourne, they tried to arrange some Airshows and Celebrity car races in the Grand Prix area to attract the crowd during the "Lull-periods". I wonder what sort of activities can Singapore come up with to fill in the gaps between the actual action.

Safety wise, I won't be too concerned as I'm sure the authorities would have taken that into consideration and with what I saw in Melbourne, there is quite a bit of gap between the stands and the actual race track..

I'll be concerned at the amount of interest for Formula 1 in Singapore though. Ticket prices for the Grand Prix ain't cheap. Grandstand tickets come at a whopping $300-$600+.. It comes in a package for the entire 4 days. That is, you are guaranteed a seat for all 4 days. Alternatively, you may purchase the General Admission ticket at about $100 for just 1 day. But you won't have any seat.. Thats what I did. We just sat on the grass patch.. haha.. Formula 1 merchandise are extremely expensive as well.. Over here, there is quite a sizeable Italian community at Lygon Street.. The whole street is full of authentic Italian food at affordable prices (Not the Pasta Manias kind..).. During the Grand Prix, the whole area is full of Ferrari Flags and almost every food outlet will have some sort of Ferrari presence.. I certainly don't see this sort of passion occuring in Singapore. The only place you'll find Ferrari merchandise is in Pasar Malams.

And of course, I have no doubt that the NSFs will be called into action for security, logistics and what have you. Hmmm. Maybe that's one area where the Govt can cut down its costs for hosting the Grand Prix.. (And by the way, I bought the Concession ticket for students, which is about $60.. )

London Bridge is Falling down..

London next.. Pity I didn't have the time to visit any football stadiums though..

Buckingham Palace

No. 10 Downing Street, the 2nd Building on the Right. The one in Black and White..

How Cool is this?! A lot of these 'Smart Cars' in Paris
The Tower Bridge, London Bridge is actually just a pedestrian Bridge nearby.
Windsor Castle

Letting the Pictures do the Talking..

The tunnel where Princess Diana's fatal Accident OccurredStade de France - The Place where Zizou sank the Brazilians almost 10 years ago

We've heard a lot about Treaty of Versailles. This is the place. Château de Versailles. Pity we were barred from entering the Palace as it was closed for some Ministerial Meeting.

I'm lovin' it

I'm absolutely lovin' it. Mugging Everyday.. Knowing that I'm inching closer to stuffing the mouths of those skeptics out there with my transcripts (again).. Even though the upcoming one may not be as resounding as the one I received on 16 Feb...